The various network and system objects need control, configuration, monitoring, and support services. Using a relational database with standard SQL access methods provides a mechanism to store data in a common, shared data store.
There are significant reasons to provide hypertext with an SQL interface. SQL and the reporting tools of a relational database management system provide a mechanism to transform the high volume of network and system management data into useful information. SQL is a widely understood model; it allows the user to choose a variety of data access paths that do not have to be determined and established in advance.
The Oracle [6] relational model provides a good match for network and system management solutions. Oracle has many features which make it very suitable for distributed management solutions. These features include the ability to distribute the database across a network, the ability to force the integrity of the data via rules and the ability to receive notification of data changes via database events. Tools available with the Oracle database include report generation, interactive data manipulation, database maintenance, and data export/import tools.
LAN managers can use an Oracle network database to browse through different data about the network and its components through the interface to Mosaic browser [11]. The Manager is no longer forced to learn the whole SQL world to obtain some data he is interested in. The forms-based interface to Oracle [12,13] is an effective way to get information quickly on the fly. (Fig.6) Through this, the dynamic access to the structural definitions of network and system components is realized. The usage of the database can grow with future expansion of the network and the needs of maintenance personnel.
Figure 5. Data Base Query and Answer
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